Locals React to Arizona Immigration Ruling

Arizona's controversial new immigration law goes into effect Thursday. But some key provisions will be missing.

A judge's ruling Wednesday said Arizona police can't make warrant-less arrests of suspected illegal immigrants. It also eliminated a provision making it a state crime to be in the United States illegally.

Arizona's tough new immigration law gets the teeth knocked out of it but the passionate debate on both sides of the issue is far from over.

Members of metro Atlanta's swelling Latin community anxiously awaited the ruling and breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's good for everybody. Every state sometimes changes the law but right now it's better for everybody," said immigrant Pedro Sanchez. 

Another person said, "If you look Hispanic, you were getting stopped. It's bad. It's an uncomfortable feeling, even if you are documented."

Several key provisions of Arizona's immigration bill will be missing. One allowed police to make warrant-less arrests of suspected illegal immigrants. Another made it a state crime to be in the U.S. illegally.

D.A. King -- whose Dustin Inman Society has been vocal at the state capitol in opposition to illegal immigration -- says he's pleased other less controversial provisions are now in effect - including a section that bars cities in Arizona from disregarding federal immigration laws:

"I think when the dust settles people who are anti-enforcement will be a lot less pleased than they seem to be today. Arizona is now a considerably less comfortable state for illegal aliens than it was yesterday," said D.A. King of the Dustin Inman Society.

Four Georgia counties enforce a law that's called 287G -- which means their officers are trained to check the immigration status of suspects booked into the jail.

One of them is Gwinnett County. Sheriff Butch Conway told reporters the program works - and the ruling won't affect the way his deputies operate, saying "business as usual."

Arizona goveor Jan Brewer -- who signed the bill in April -- called the ruling a temporary "bump in the road."

She said the state will appeal it.